Natural Disasters and Perceived Transformational Leadership Traits in Community Leaders

Abstract

Hurricane Michael decimated the community of Bay County, Florida as a disaster of unexpected force. As its winds reached 161 miles per hour, leaders were forced to find ways of recovering during widespread and on-going devastation. The purpose of this study was to examine the lived experiences of these leaders through the lens of Bass’s Transformational Leadership lens. This hermeneutical phenomenological study illuminated the experiences of nine individuals who were living in Bay County before, during, and after the hurricane. Their interviews were analyzed and the results revealed that effective leadership is best received by followers when leaders exhibit the traits of active listening, inspiration, vision articulation, thinking outside the box, and acting as role models. These results show that demonstrating transformational leadership traits can be helpful for leaders during disaster recovery.